Cucho Hernandez assisted on goals by Christian Ramirez and Diego Rossi to help the host Columbus Crew extend their winning streak to three with a 2-0 victory over Nashville SC on Wednesday.
Ramirez scored in the 30th minute on a disputed goal and Rossi added another in the 65th.
In the past three matches, Hernandez has eight goal contributions (four goals, four assists) and Rossi has two goals and three assists.
Patrick Schulte, who has six shutouts, made three saves for the Crew (10-3-6, 36 points), who have won seven of eight.
Nashville (6-7-8, 26 points) lost for the first time in the past five away matches (2-1-2) under interim coach Rumba Munthali.
The start of the match was delayed more than two hours because of lightning.
Ramirez scored his fourth goal of the season via a header in the center of the box. Rossi’s pass to Hernandez from the end line was reviewed. Replays appeared to show the ball was fully across the line and the play should have been whistled dead but a video review did not overturn the goal.
Hernandez had scored in four straight matches and nearly made it a fifth in the 43rd minute but ripped a shot off the crossbar.
Nashville had a goal nullified early in the second half when Tyler Boyd was called for a hand ball on his header. It appeared that the ball had gone off the back of Crew defender Steven Moreira.
The Crew sealed the win when Hernandez slid the ball ahead to Rossi, who pushed it past onrushing goalkeeper Joe Willis for his sixth goal of the season.
Earlier in the day, Nashville announced that B.J. Callaghan, an assistant to Gregg Berhalter on the U.S. men’s national team, was hired to replace Gary Smith, who was fired on May 16. He will officially join the club July 22.
–Field Level Media